buried, are reminded of death and prepare for the Hereafter. Yet they may also become distraught, so the two effects conflict. Grief itself is permissible: if one seeks through it to obey Allah, it becomes an act of obedience; if one commits a sin, it becomes sinful.

As for the third type, it is visiting graves to supplicate for those buried there, just as one does in the funeral prayer. This is the recommended form of visiting established by the Sunnah: the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, practised it and taught his Companions what to say when visiting graves.

As for visiting Qubāʾ, anyone who comes to Medina is encouraged to go to Qubāʾ and pray in its mosque. Likewise, according to the majority of scholars, it is recommended that they visit al-Baqīʿ and the martyrs of Uhud, as the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to do. Visiting graves to supplicate for the deceased is therefore of the same nature as offering funeral prayers: its purpose is to supplicate for them, not to invoke any created being besides Allah. Nor is it permissible to turn graves into mosques, or to visit them on the grounds that supplication at or by them is better than supplication in mosques and homes.

By the agreement of the Muslims, offering funeral prayers is better than supplicating for the dead at their graves. Funeral prayer is prescribed—indeed, it is a communal obligation—established through mass transmission and agreed upon among the Muslims. If someone were to approach the bier of the deceased, invoking him besides Allah and seeking his aid, this would constitute association of partners with Allah, forbidden by the consensus of the Muslims. If someone were to lament him and wail, that too would be forbidden, though less grave than the former.

Thus, whoever cites as evidence the visits of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, to those buried in al-Baqīʿ and to the people of